SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Leaders of the Episcopal Church, meeting in Salt Lake City, expressed regret for pain caused by their decision to ordain an openly gay man as bishop.
Pointedly, though, the leaders did not express regret Thursday for the ordination itself or agree to a requested moratorium on more such actions.
The bishops, who represent 2.3 million U.S. members of the 70 million-plus member worldwide Anglican communion, were responding to a request by that communion to back down from what non-U.S. bishops have widely labeled as unilateral and thus contemptuous of the rest of the church, Anglican tradition and the Bible.
The communion's request was issued last October by a panel of church leaders from around the world.
The Episcopal Church's leadership said it needed more time to reach a consensus about ordinations like the one that put Gene Robinson in charge of the Diocese of New Hampshire, something that happened 18 months ago.
Next month, Episcopalian leaders travel to Ireland to defend this week's reaffirmation of making a homosexual a bishop and to hear from their global counterparts, many of whom want them ejected from the 460-year-old church.
